Style Arc Mindi Skirt

My latest Style Arc order arrived this week and, after mulling it over, I decided to start with the Mindi skirt. This pattern is designed for a regular woven fabric, but I used a stretch woven corduroy from my stash.

Because the fabric is busy, I left off the zippered patch pockets. The front features a Center Front zipper and I used a bold Riri zipper in red.

I purchased my usual Style Arc size for bottoms - a 6. The skirt was too small through the waist so I increased the waist and substituted a rectangular waistband for their curved waistband. The skirt was too big through the hips, probably because it is designed for a regular woven fabric. I removed 4" from the side seams (1" from the front and back pattern pieces). After the skirt was completed, I realized that I could have removed another 3" or 4" from the hips, but the waistband was already attached, so I am leaving it, for now.

The pattern is designed so that the zipper goes through the waistband but I don't need that feature, given my hip-to-waist ratio, so I simplified.

This is a great basic skirt! I am already planning another one, next time with the zippered pockets, but I don't have the necessary zippers in stash.

I have enough of the corduroy left to make a pair of fun winter pants. Those will be appearing soon. ;)

Asymmetric Stripey Vest - Vogue 8954

Happy Friday!

I actually completed this piece last Sunday night, but am just now getting around to blogging it. We've (finally) had some rainy weather this week, and it gets dark so early, and it's so cold, that I haven't been as gung-ho about taking selfies.

I was eager to try Marcy's new vest pattern, Vogue 8954, but it took me awhile to settle on a fabric for its maiden voyage. Marcy had mentioned, in her blog post about this vest, that she had made a striped version out of a rayon lycra fabric, so I decided to give that a try. This rayon lycra has been in my stash for awhile and I believe it was purchased locally. It features a very uneven stripe pattern. To be honest, I haven't been in the mood to sew droopy rayon lycra knits lately, and this one is droopy, so I thought it might be a good way to use a fabric that might otherwise languish.

Marcy recommends that, if you want the vest to be less loose, to go down one size, but no more than that. I went down one size and made the Small. It is plenty roomy in the bust, so I did not do an FBA.

I made no alterations to the pattern.

You cut each pattern piece out once, alternating the direction of the stripe, and there are quite a few pattern pieces. For example, there are four pattern pieces on the left and right fronts (which are different from each other). Some of the seams are sewn conventionally, and some of the seams are sewn with reverse French seams, with the seam allowance to the outside. On each front, the top and bottom pieced seam is sewn with a French seam, but the middle seam is sewn conventionally. I serged the raw edges of all "conventional" seams.

This fabric is very lightweight, very unstable, and prone to rippling. Marcy recommended a Sulky product on her blog called Totally Stable Iron-On Tear-Away Stabilizer Roll.

I ordered some Totally Stable, and proceeded to cut many, many 1" strips with my rotary cutter, using the instructions that Marcy posted. I sewed most every seam and hem with this stabilizer, and it worked like a charm. You might be able to achieve the same results with regular paper, but I will definitely be ordering more of this product for my stash.

My little garbage can was full of used-up Totally Stable

Once the vest was finished, I decided that I liked it better open, so I did not use any closures. It has such an interesting front when worn open, with the different angled pieces that hang down, at least in this fabric.

I like this vest, and I was happy with sizing down one size, but there are a couple things I would do differently next time:

• If I were to make it again in a droopy fabric, I would eliminate the collar. It's difficult to get the collar to lay nicely in a droopy fabric. I think that the collar would be great in a more substantial fabric. (It would be extremely easy to leave off the collar._
• Given that I wear this open, the one serged seam on each front shows, which I don't love. Next time, I would sew all three pieced seams on each front with a reverse French seam.

And, by the way, did you SEE the entries in Marcy's recent jacket/coat competition???!!!

Ay Carumba, they were FABULOUS! Go and enjoy the visual feast...

I have another garment to show you, but no pics yet. I hope you have a great weekend!